Information storage medium, information recording method, information playback method, information recording apparatus and information playback apparatus

Abstract

When one or more stream object units that form a stream object are not the ones which include normal information of a digital stream signal (in case of rain-attenuated, noisy signal information or the like), in an embodiment, management information (ESOBU_ENT in HR_SFIx.IFO) is configured to store information (1st_Ref_PIC_SZ set with a unique value “0” or the like) indicating that this data unit is a dummy data unit.

1 . An information storage medium configured to record a digital stream signal the information storage medium comprising: 
 a data area, wherein the data area is configured to separately record data of the digital stream signal as not less than one object, and wherein the object is configured by not less than one data unit;    a management area, wherein the management area is configured to record management information of the object; and    when the data unit is not a data unit that includes normal information of the digital stream signal, the management information is configured to store information indicating that the data unit is a dummy data unit.    
   
   
       2 . The medium of  claim 1  wherein the digital stream signal is a digital stream signal of an MPEG2 transport stream or having contents corresponding to the MPEG2 transport stream.  
   
   
       3 . The medium of  claim 1  wherein the digital stream signal serially includes GOP data each appended with a sequence header.  
   
   
       4 . The medium of  claim 3  wherein a neighboring GOP gap is detected from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data, and wherein, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, a data size between the sequence headers of the neighboring GOP data is calculated, and for, when the data size is not less than a minimum size of the data unit, the dummy data unit that pads the gap larger than the one GOP size is generated.  
   
   
       5 . The medium of  claim 3  wherein a neighboring GOP gap is detected from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data, and wherein, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, a data size is calculated between the sequence headers of the neighboring GOP data, and for, when the data size is smaller than a minimum size of the data unit, the object is divided between the data units at a detection position of the gap larger than the one GOP size.  
   
   
       6 . The medium of  claim 4  wherein, when the dummy data unit is generated, information indicating the dummy data unit is written in the management information corresponding to the dummy data unit so as to distinguish the dummy data unit from other data units.  
   
   
       7 . The medium of  claim 3  wherein a neighboring GOP gap is detected from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data, and wherein, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, the dummy data unit is generated to pad the gap larger than the one GOP size.  
   
   
       8 . The medium of  claim 3  wherein a neighboring GOP gap is detected from a difference between a time stamp of a first reference picture of the data unit which belongs to given GOP data and a time stamp of a first reference picture of the data unit which belongs to the next GOP data, and wherein, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, the dummy data unit to pad the gap larger than the one GOP size is generated.  
   
   
       9 . A recording apparatus for recording a digital stream signal on an information storage medium, the recording apparatus comprising: 
 a processor that is configured to detect a neighboring GOP gap from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data;    wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a data size between the sequence headers of the neighboring GOP data when the detected GOP gap is larger than at least one GOP size; and    wherein the processor is further configured to generate a dummy data unit that pads the detected GOP gap when the data size is not less than a minimum size of the data unit.    
   
   
       10 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a data size between the sequence headers of the neighboring GOP data when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size; and wherein the processor is further configured to divide the object between the data units at a detection position of the gap larger than the one GOP size when the data size is smaller than a minimum size of the data unit.  
   
   
       11 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the processor is further configured to write information indicating the dummy data unit in the management information corresponding to the dummy data unit so as to distinguish the dummy data unit from other data units when the dummy data unit is generated.  
   
   
       12 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the processor is further configured to generate the dummy data unit to pad the gap larger than the one GOP size when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size.  
   
   
       13 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the processor is further configured to detect a neighboring GOP gap from a difference between a time stamp of a first reference picture of the data unit which belongs to given GOP data and a time stamp of a first reference picture of the data unit which belongs to the next GOP data, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate the dummy data unit to pad the gap larger than the one GOP size when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size.  
   
   
       14 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the recording is performed by: 
 detecting a neighboring GOP gap from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data;    calculating, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, a data size between the sequence headers of the neighboring GOP data; and    dividing, when the data size is smaller than a minimum size of the data unit, the object between the data units at a detection position of the gap larger than the one GOP size.    
   
   
       15 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the recording is performed by: 
 detecting a neighboring GOP gap from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data;    calculating, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, a data size between the sequence headers of the neighboring GOP data; and    generating, when the data size is not less than a minimum size of the data unit, the dummy data unit that pads the gap larger than the one GOP size.    
   
   
       16 . The recording apparatus of  claim 15  wherein when the dummy data unit is generated, information indicating the dummy data unit is written in the management information corresponding to the dummy data unit so as to distinguish the dummy data unit from other data units.  
   
   
       17 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the recording is performed by: 
 detecting a neighboring GOP gap from a difference between time stamps of sequence headers of given GOP data and the next GOP data; and    generating, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, the dummy data unit to pad the gap larger than the one GOP size.    
   
   
       18 . The recording apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the recording is performed by: 
 detecting a neighboring GOP gap from a difference between a time stamp of a first reference picture of the data unit which belongs to given GOP data and a time stamp of a first reference picture of the data unit which belongs to the next GOP data; and    generating, when the detected GOP gap is larger than one GOP size, the dummy data unit to pad the gap larger than the one GOP size.    
   
   
       19 . A playback apparatus for playing back a digital stream signal stored on an information storage medium, the playback apparatus comprising: 
 a processor configured to play back information in a management area wherein the information in the management area indicates whether a data unit stored in a data area is a dummy data unit; and    wherein the processor is further configured to play back information in the data area wherein the information in the data area includes at least one dummy data unit.    
   
   
       20 . The playback apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the playing back is performed by: 
 playing back information in the management area; and    playing back information in the data area that includes the data unit and the dummy data unit.